Will Durant once said, “I think the ability of the average man could be doubled if the situation demanded.” I think we would all agree with him–when we are faced with a deadline, it’s amazing what we can get done in a very short period of time. Remember those college all-nighters you may have pulled? If the situation requires, we can double our productivity.
We often will perform better under pressure; therefore, it stands to reason that if we want to have a break though in productivity, we have to find a way to manufacture that pressure in our lives. That’s why I love to break my year down into quarterly segments and live within a 90-day timeframe. I recently talked about this in more detail on The Breakthough Podcast if you’d like to dive deeper into the topic.
The Power of 90 Days
The first time I ran across the concept of setting goals based on quarters was in the book Traction by Gino Wickman. The reason I’ve found 90 days to work in achieving goals is:
1. It gives us a manageable timeframe. It’s a short enough span of time to keep the goal in front of us and wrap our brains around it. When we set a New-Year’s resolution for the entire year, it’s too long and gives us a pass because we think we have plenty of time. Then, unfortunately, it often gets put off so long that the goal is never achieved.
2. It’s long enough to make a significant change in your life. I’ve seen people significantly change the course of their lives during 90 days. They’ve written a book, turned a career around, or maybe lost 30 pounds. You can see the finish line, but it gives you enough time to actually make a significant change.
Lead Measures v. Lag Measures
If you are all-in and ready to set your goals, it’s important to set some lead measures. In 4 Disciplines of Execution, Sean Covey explains the importance of setting lead measures and lag measures when setting goals. Lag measures are measurements of how you are doing on your way toward your goal. It’s what you spend time losing sleep over. In our office, we track our lag measures on a weekly “scorecard.” Lag measures could be a specific revenue amount, current customer satisfaction numbers, or the number of pounds lost. The reason they call them “lag” is because you are measuring something after the fact. The time period is already over, so it’s just a measurement of where you are at a specific time as you work toward a goal.
Lead measures, on the other hand, are critical because they are what you are going to do to actually move the needle and eventually hit your goal. They are like bets you are placing–I’m betting if I do this (lead measure) then I will reach my goal.
It’s important to remember that any lead measure (how you’re going to get there) must be:
1. Influenceable – I can do something about this.
2. Predictable – There’s a probability if I do these, I will move the needle.
Here’s a very helpful tutorial video of how to set lead and lag measures based on the book, 4 Disciplines of Execution.
A Practical Example
Say your goal is that by December 31, you want to have an improved relationship with God. What are some lead measures I can take to move the needle toward my goal?
1. Spend time every day reading and meditating on scripture.
2. Spend quality time in prayer and quieting my heart.
3. Get in a small group for accountability and spiritual growth.
If I am faithful to those three things, I am confident that in 90 days, I will hit the goal of having an improved relationship with God.
Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Schedule the hard work into your day. It takes a plan and then working the plan.
Are you ready to make significant progress in your life? Remember to think of your year in quarters, and put in the hard work. You can do anything for 90 days…including changing your life.
If you decide to take this 90-Day Challenge, please be sure to let me know at danderson@eclife.org.
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